As Iran’s June 28 presidential elections near, the country's political landscape is defined by disillusionment among large swaths of the electorate. There has also been rising voter apathy since the 2020 parliamentary polls, when the conservative-dominated Guardian Council began barring most pro-reform candidates from running in national elections.

In many ways, the record-low turnout reflects a deep-seated discontent fueled by deteriorating economic conditions, increased suppression of dissent, and continued enforcement of strict social and...